Non-visual outputs for a smart ring

ABSTRACT

A system for communicating information indicative of driving conditions, to a driver, using a smart ring are disclosed. An exemplary system includes a smart ring with a ring band having a plurality of surfaces including an inner surface, an outer surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface. The system further includes a processor, configured to obtain data from a communication module within the ring band, or from one or more sensors disposed within the ring band. The obtained data is representative of information indicative of one or more driving conditions to be communicated to the driver. The smart ring also includes a haptic module disposed at least partially within the ring band, and the module being configured to communicate information indicative of the one or more driving conditions.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/877,391, filed Jul. 23, 2019, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/990,115, filed Mar. 16, 2020, both incorporated byreference herein for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to implementations of smartring wearable devices and, more particularly, to methods and devices forcommunicating indicative of driving conditions to a driver vianon-visual outputs of a smart ring wearable devices.

BACKGROUND

Information pertaining to driving conditions of a vehicle and/or driverare valuable for navigation of the vehicle, ensuring safe operation ofthe vehicle, and lawful operation of the vehicle. Typically, operatorsof vehicles are provided, via a console display within the vehicle, witha limited amount of information pertaining to the vehicle (such as aspeed of the vehicle or operational statuses of various elements of thevehicle such as the motor, oil levels, heat levels, etc.). In typicalvehicles, information provided by the vehicle to an operator of avehicle is typically limited to the operational statuses of the vehicleitself.

BRIEF SUMMARY

As disclosed herein, a smart ring device is configured for communicatinginformation indicative of driving conditions to a driver via non-visualoutputs (e.g., haptic outputs, audible outputs, etc.). The smart ringdevice allows for the communication of a multitude of different factorsand conditions to a driver of a vehicle (e.g., a wearer of the smartring) during operation of a vehicle, One benefit of the smart ringdevice is that the smart ring may measure biometrics of the driver andcommunicate indications of the biometrics such as a heart rate, bloodpressure, blood-oxygen level, etc. Further, based at least in part uponthe biometric information, the smart ring may provide indications to adriver of an operational state of the driver (e.g., a weariness level ofa driver, an inebriation level, etc.) to indicate a potential risk ofhazardous driving of the driver. The smart ring may be easily worn by auser of the smart ring throughout the user's day, and/or overnight,allowing the smart ring to track sleeping habits and physical exertionallowing for the smart ring to more accurately determine physical statesof the wearer of the smart ring, compared to other user associatedcellular devices such as a cell phone or step tracker. Additionally, thesmart ring may communicate to a driver indications of environmentalconditions, operating conditions of the vehicle, conditions of otherdrivers, conditions of other vehicles, or may communicate driving risklevels based at least in part upon any of the conditions, orcombinations of conditions.

The smart ring device can provide indications to a driver without thedriver having to remove any hands from a steering wheel of the vehicle,or having to shift their gaze to a central console, which can reduce therisk of hazardous driving, and/or unlawful driving. Additionally, themethods of communication of the smart ring device have low-power needscompared to conventional display technologies.

In an embodiment, a system for communicating information indicative ofdriving conditions to a driver via a smart ring device includes a ringband having a plurality of surfaces including an inner surface, an outersurface, a first side surface, and a second side surface. The smart ringfurther includes a processor, configured to obtain data from acommunication module disposed within the ring band or from one or moresensors disposed within the ring band, the data being representative ofinformation indicative of the one or more driving conditions. The smartring also includes a haptic module on at least one of the plurality ofsurfaces, configured to present, to a user of the smart ring device,information indicative of one or more driving conditions.

The system may further include a power source disposed within the ringband configured to power the smart ring device, and a memory to storecomputer-executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay cause the processor to obtain information indicative of the one ormore driving conditions, and to control the haptic module to cause thehaptic module to communicate information indicative of the one or moredriving conditions.

The communication module may be configured to provide communicationsbetween the smart ring device and external devices and systems. Thesmart ring device may communicate, via the communication module, with amobile device associated with the driver of a vehicle, wherein themobile device is configured to obtain information from sensors of thevehicle.

The system may further include a user input unit communicatively coupledto the processor. The user input unit may include haptic sensors,microphones, or other sensors to enable a user to provide a user inputto the user input unit. The processor may further be configured to causethe haptic module to communicate the information indicative of theidentified one or more driving conditions by a selected means of hapticfeedback in response to receiving a user input.

The system may further include an audio module configured to provide, toa user of the smart ring device, audio outputs indicative of the one ormore driving conditions.

The system may further include biometric sensors configured to monitorbiometrics of the wearer of the smart ring, and further configured tocommunicate, via the communication module, biometric information to amobile device associated with the driver of the vehicle.

The information indicative of driving conditions may be indicative of aspeed of a vehicle, an acceleration of a vehicle, a current weathercondition, a sleepiness condition of a driver, a cognoscente conditionof a driver, an inebriation condition of a driver, an operational statusof a vehicle, and/or biometric information of a wearer of the smart ringdevice.

Depending upon the embodiment, one or more benefits may be achieved.These benefits and various additional objects, features and advantagesof the present disclosure can be fully appreciated with reference to thedetailed description and accompanying drawings that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system comprising a smart ring and a block diagramof smart ring components according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a number of different form factor types of a smartring according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates examples of different smart ring form factors andconfigurations.

FIG. 4 illustrates an environment within which a smart ring may operateaccording to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various techniques, systems, and methods are described below withreference to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , and FIG. 4 . FIG. 1 and FIG. 4illustrate example systems and system components that incorporate asmart ring. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 depict various form factors andconfigurations of smart ring embodiments with haptic modules.

Specifically, the following is described: (I) an example smart ringsystem 100 (shown in FIG. 1 ), configured to present informationindicative of driving conditions to a driver of a vehicle, including asmart ring 101, a set of smart ring components 102, and one or moredevices or systems in communication with the smart ring including a userdevice 104, a mobile device 106, and a server 107; (II) smart ring formfactor types of the smart ring 101 (FIG. 2 ); (III) example surfaceelement configurations of the smart ring form factor types of the smartring 101 (FIG. 3 ); (IV) example smart ring embodiments with hapticmodules (V) an example environment 400 in which smart ring 101 mayoperate (FIG. 4 ), including (1) server 442 and (2) other sampledevices; (VI) additional considerations; and (VII) general terms andphrases.

The “driving conditions” identified by the smart ring or communicated bythe smart ring to a user of the smart ring may be: (i) biometrics of auser of the smart ring including, without limitation, pulse rate, bloodflow, blood oxygen level, blood pressure, skin salinity level,temperature, weariness level, a cognoscente condition of the user, aninebriation condition of the user, or any other biological and biometricinformation; (ii) a state of a user such as erratic behavior of theuser, sleepiness of the user, or a stress level of the user; (iii)detected vehicular statuses such as engine temperature, oil level, aneeded oil change, coolant level, exhaust fume legal compliance, breakpad health, low battery charge, flat tire, alternator failure, tirealignment/misalignment, transmission issue, power steering fluid level,brake fluid level, transmission fluid level, windshield wiper fluidlevel, etc.; (iv) vehicular operations such as a speed of a vehicle, anacceleration of a vehicle, a current altitude of the vehicle, a lanecentering of the vehicle, a fuel efficiency of the vehicle, an autopilotfunction status of the vehicle (e.g., autopilot isactivated/not-activated), an operational of autonomous driving functionof the vehicle is deactivated, an autonomous driving function of thevehicle is activated, air bags are activated/de-activated, a seat beltis latched/unlatched, a temperature of the environment inside of thecabin of the vehicle, etc.; external factors or environmental factorssuch as current or predicated weather conditions (e.g., rain, snow,extreme heat, etc.), current external environmental conditions (e.g.,wet/slick roads, fog levels, a visibility level, dangerous breathingair, external temperature, etc.), current conditions inside of the cabof the vehicle (e.g., the temperature, air quality, moisture level,etc.); information and statuses of nearby vehicles, identifications thata nearby driver is driving erratically; driving conditions duringoperation of a vehicle such as the congestion of drivers along a road orplanned trip route, the current proximity of the vehicle to externalobjects outside of the vehicle (e.g., other vehicles, pedestrians,trees, etc.), or other factors associated with operation of a vehicle;or another element or factor that may have an influence or impact of theoperation of a vehicle.

The “data” that is received by a processor of the smart ring (via asensor or communication module of the smart ring) and analyzed by theprocessor to identify the one or more driving conditions may include:biometric data of a wearer of the smart ring (e.g., representing detectheart beats, perspiration, user movement, etc.), biometric data from auser associated device, data from sensors of the vehicle (e.g., speeddata, direction data, laser or camera data representing capturedinformation regarding environmental or road conditions), data from acentral console of the vehicle, data from sensors of other vehicles,data from central consoles of other vehicles, data from user associateddevices or drivers from other vehicles, data from a network, dataassociated with a driving history of a driver, data associated with ahealth history of a driver, data associated with behavior trends of adriver, or data indicative of any of the driving conditions describedabove.

The haptic module of the smart rings described herein may include anysuitable haptic device or devices for a smart ring. A haptic module mayalso be referred to as a haptic output device, haptic unit, hapticdevice, or haptic element. Haptic technologies are devices that aretypically in physical contact with a user to provide the user with atactile sensation to relay information to a user. For example, a hapticdevice may include a module that vibrates to provide a tactile sensationto a user, or may be a ring that squeezes the finger of a user. Hapticdevices are used in a multitude of technologies to provide a sense oftouch to a user by applying a physical force, vibration, or a motion toa user. Additionally, the haptic device may include a heating devicethat provides heat energy to a user, or a speaker to provide an audibleoutput to a user. In examples, the haptic module may include anelectromagnetic actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, piezoelectric motor,piezoelectric transducer servomechanism, a servomotor, an eccentricrotating mass (ECM) actuator, a linear resonant actuator (LRA), an airvortex ring, an ultrasound transducer, another haptic device capable ofproviding a user with a tactile sensation. Additionally, the hapticmodules may include a thermal device to provide heat or thermal energyto a user, or a speaker for providing audio output to a user of any ofthe smart ring devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g,and/or 390 h. The thermal device may provide heat energy to a user ofthe smart ring through indirect, or direct thermal conduction, orradiative means.

Haptic technologies do not need illumination and therefore provide ameans for low power operation of the haptic devices when compared todisplay technologies. Therefore, smart rings that employ haptic outputmodules have an increased battery life compared to visual display basedsmart rings. Additionally, providing the user with haptic feedback andsignals reduces any risk of eye fatigue of the user that could resultfrom having to look at screens or displays. The haptic devices may beembedded in smart rings, and do not need the use of glass or otherfragile materials making haptic based smart rings less sensitive toimpact and more durable than glass-based displays. Haptic devices may bebeneficial for use in smart ring technologies because of the low-powerconsumption, capability for small form factors, and durability of themodules, among other factors, as described above.

I. An Example Smart Ring Environment

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 that may be utilized to communicaterelevant information to a driver, thereby improving the driver'sawareness of the state of the vehicle, environment, and even his or herown state and consequently improving the driver's safety profile andreducing his or her risk exposure while driving. The system 100 mayobtain information indicative of driving conditions as described hereinto communicate information indicative of the driving conditions to thedriver of the vehicle.

The system 100 comprises (i) a smart ring 101 including a set ofcomponents 102 and (ii) one or more devices or systems that may beelectrically, mechanically, or communicatively connected to the smartring 101. Specifically, the system 100 may comprise any one or more of:a charger 103 for the smart ring 101, a user device 104, a network 105,a mobile device 106, or a server 107. The charger 103 may provide energyto the smart ring 101 by way of a direct electrical, a wireless, or anoptical connection. The smart ring 101 may be in a direct communicativeconnection with the user device 104, the mobile device 106, or theserver 107 by way of the network 105. Interactions between the smartring 101 and other components of the system 100 are discussed in moredetail in the context of FIG. 6 .

The smart ring 101 may sense a variety of signals indicative ofactivities of a user wearing the ring 101, biometric signals, aphysiological state of the user, or signals indicative of the user'senvironment. The smart ring 101 may analyze the sensed signals usingbuilt-in computing capabilities or in cooperation with other computingdevices (e.g., user device 104, mobile device 106, server 107) andprovide feedback to the user or about the user via the smart ring 101 orother devices (e.g., user device 104, mobile device 106, server 107).The smart ring 101 may process the sensed signals and provide visualoutputs or haptic outputs to the user of the smart ring 101 indicativeof any of the sensed signals, as discussed further below. Additionallyor alternatively, the smart ring 101 may provide the user withnotifications sent by other devices, enable secure access to locationsor information, or a variety of other applications pertaining to health,wellness, productivity, or entertainment.

The smart ring 101, which may be referred to herein as the ring 101, maycomprise a variety of mechanical, electrical, optical, haptic, audio, orany other suitable subsystems, devices, components, or parts disposedwithin, at, throughout, or in mechanical connection to a housing 110(which may be ring shaped and generally configured to be worn on afinger). Additionally, a set of interface components 112 a and 112 b maybe disposed at the housing, and, in particular, through the surface ofthe housing. The interface components 112 a and 112 b may provide aphysical access (e.g., electrical, fluidic, mechanical, or optical) tothe components disposed within the housing. The interface components 112a and 112 b may exemplify surface elements disposed at the housing. Asdiscussed below, some of the surface elements of the housing may also beparts of the smart ring components.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the components 102 of the smart ring 101 may bedistributed within, throughout, or on the housing 110. As discussed inthe contexts of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 below, the housing 110 may beconfigured in a variety of ways and include multiple parts. The smartring components 102 may, for example, be distributed among the differentparts of the housing 110, as described below, and may include surfaceelements of the housing 110. The housing 110 may include mechanical,electrical, optical, haptic, audio, or any other suitable subsystems,devices, components, or parts disposed within or in mechanicalconnection to the housing 110, including a battery 120, a charging unit130, a controller 140, a sensor system 150 comprising one or moresensors, a communications unit 160, a one or more user input devices170, or a one or more output devices 190. Each of the components 120,130, 140, 150, 160, 170, and/or 190 may include one or more associatedcircuits, as well as packaging elements. The components 120, 130, 140,150, 160, 170, and/or 190 may be electrically or communicativelyconnected with each other (e.g., via one or more busses or links, powerlines, etc.), and may cooperate to enable “smart” functionalitydescribed within this disclosure.

The battery 120 may supply energy or power to the controller 140, thesensors 150, the communications unit 160, the user input devices 170, orthe output devices 190. In some scenarios or implementations, thebattery 120 may supply energy or power to the charging unit 130. Thecharging unit 130 may supply energy or power to the battery 120. In someimplementations, the charging unit 130 may supply (e.g., from thecharger 103, or harvested from other sources) energy or power to thecontroller 140, the sensors 150, the communications unit 160, the userinput devices 170, or the output devices 190. In a charging mode ofoperation of the smart ring 101, the average power supplied by thecharging unit 130 to the battery 120 may exceed the average powersupplied by the battery 120 to the charging unit 130, resulting in a nettransfer of energy from the charging unit 130 to the battery 120. In anon-charging mode of operation, the charging unit 130 may, on average,draw energy from the battery 120.

The battery 120 may include one or more cells that convert mechanical,chemical, thermal, nuclear or another suitable form of energy intoelectrical energy to power other components or subsystems 140, 150, 160,170, and/or 190 of the smart ring 101. The battery 120 may include oneor more alkaline, lithium, lithium-ion and or other suitable cells. Thebattery 120 may include two terminals that, in operation, maintain asubstantially fixed voltage of 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 9, 12 V or any othersuitable terminal voltage between them. When fully charged, the battery120 may be capable of delivering to power-sinking components an amountof charge, referred to herein as “full charge,” without recharging. Thefull charge of the battery may be 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500,1000, 2000, 5000 mAh or any other suitable charge that can be deliveredto one or more power-consuming loads as electrical current.

The battery 120 may include a charge-storage device, such as, forexample a capacitor or a super-capacitor. In some implementationsdiscussed below, the battery 120 may be entirely composed of one or morecapacitive or charge-storage elements. The charge storage device may becapable of delivering higher currents than the energy-conversion cellsincluded in the battery 120. Furthermore, the charge storage device maymaintain voltage available to the components or subsystems 130, 140,150, 160, 170, and/or 190 when one or more cells of the battery 120 areremoved to be subsequently replaced by other cells.

The charging unit 130 may be configured to replenish the charge suppliedby the battery 120 to power-sinking components or subsystems (e.g., oneor more of subsystems 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, and/or 190) or, morespecifically, by their associated circuits. To replenish the batterycharge, the charging unit 130 may convert one form of electrical energyinto another form of electrical energy. More specifically, the chargingunit 130 may convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC),may perform frequency conversions of current or voltage waveforms, ormay convert energy stored in static electric fields or static magneticfields into direct current. Additionally or alternatively, the chargingunit 130 may harvest energy from radiating or evanescent electromagneticfields (including optical radiation) and convert it into the chargestored in the battery 120. Furthermore, the charging unit 130 mayconvert non-electrical energy into electrical energy. For example, thecharging unit 130 may harvest energy from motion, or from thermalgradients.

The controller 140 may include a processor unit 142 and a memory unit144. The processor unit 142 may include one or more processors, such asa microprocessor (μP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphical processing unit (GPU), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or any other suitable electronic processing components.In embodiments, the controller may include a dedicatedgraphics-processing unit (GPU) for rendering images, animations,characters, symbols, or any visual outputs to be presented to the userof the smart ring 101. Additionally or alternatively, the processor unit142 may include photonic processing components (e.g., cameras, opticalsensors, waveguide, optical storage, optical switches, light emittingdiodes (LEDs) laser diode (LDs), etc.).

The memory unit 144 may include one or more computer memory devices orcomponents, such as one or more registers, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, or on-boardflash memory. The memory unit 144 may use magnetic, optical, electronic,spintronic, or any other suitable storage technology. In someimplementations, at least some of the functionality the memory unit 144may be integrated in an ASIC or and FPGA. Furthermore, the memory unit144 may be integrated into the same chip as the processor unit 142 andthe chip, in some implementations, may be an ASIC or an FPGA.

The memory unit 144 may store a smart ring (SR) routine 146 with a setof instructions, that, when executed by the processor 142 may enable theoperation and the functionality described in more detail below.Furthermore, the memory unit 144 may store smart ring (SR) data 148,which may include (i) input data used by one or more of the components102 (e.g., by the controller when implementing the SR routine 146) or(ii) output data generated by one or more of the components 102 (e.g.,the controller 140, the sensor unit 150, the communication unit 160, orthe user input unit 170). In some implementations, other units,components, or devices may generate data (e.g., diagnostic data) forstoring in the memory unit 144.

The processing unit 142 may draw power from the battery 120 (or directlyfrom the charging unit 130) to read from the memory unit 144 and toexecute instructions contained in the smart ring routine 146. Likewise,the memory unit 144 may draw power from the battery 120 (or directlyfrom the charging unit 130) to maintain the stored data or to enablereading or writing data into the memory unit 144. The processor unit142, the memory unit 144, or the controller 140 as a whole may becapable of operating in one or more low-power mode. One such low powermode may maintain the machine state of the controller 140 when less thana threshold power is available from the battery 120 or during a chargingoperation in which one or more battery cells are exchanged.

The controller 140 may receive and process data from the sensors 150,the communications unit 160, or the user input devices 170. Thecontroller 140 may perform computations to generate new data, signals,or information. The controller 140 may send data from the memory unit144 or the generated data to the communication unit 160 or the outputdevices 190. The electrical signals or waveforms generated by thecontroller 140 may include digital or analog signals or waveforms. Thecontroller 140 may include electrical or electronic circuits fordetecting, transforming (e.g., linearly or non-linearly filtering,amplifying, attenuating), or converting (e.g., digital to analog, analogto digital, rectifying, changing frequency) of analog or digitalelectrical signals or waveforms.

The sensor unit 150 may include one or more sensors disposed within orthroughout the housing 110 of the ring 101. Each of the one or moresensors may transduce one or more of: light, sound, acceleration,translational or rotational movement, strain, temperature, chemicalcomposition, surface conductivity, pressure, haptic, or other suitablesignals into electrical or electronic sensors or signals. A sensor maybe acoustic, photonic, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors,chemical, micro-fluidic (e.g., flow sensor), or any other suitable typeof sensor. The sensor unit 150 may include, for example, an inertialmotion unit (IMU) for detecting orientation and movement of the ring101.

The communication unit 160 may facilitate wired or wirelesscommunication between the ring 101 and one or more other devices. Thecommunication unit 160 may include, for example, a network adaptor toconnect to a computer network, and, via the network, tonetwork-connected devices. The computer network may be the Internet oranother type of suitable network (e.g., a personal area network (PAN), alocal area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), a mobile, a wired or wireless network, a private network,a virtual private network, etc.). The communication unit 160 may use oneor more wireless protocols, standards, or technologies forcommunication, such as Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth,or Bluetooth low energy (BLE). Additionally or alternatively, thecommunication unit 160 may enable free-space optical or acoustic links.In some implementations, the communication unit 160 may include one ormore ports for a wired communication connections. The wired connectionsused by the wireless communication module 160 may include electrical oroptical connections (e.g., fiber-optic, twisted-pair, coaxial cable).

User input unit 170 may collect information from a person wearing thering 101 or another user, capable of interacting with the ring 101. Insome implementations, one or more of the sensors in the sensor unit 150may act as user input devices within the user input unit 170. User inputdevices may transduce tactile, acoustic, video, gesture, or any othersuitable user input into digital or analog electrical signal, and sendthese electrical signals to the controller 140.

The output unit 190 may include one or more devices to outputinformation to a user of the ring 101. The one or more output devicesmay include acoustic devices (e.g., speaker, ultrasonic); haptic(thermal, electrical, ultrasonic, tactile) devices; electronic displaysfor optical output, such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display, a laser unit, a high-power light-emitting diode (LED), etc.; ane-ink display (e.g., a segmented e-ink display, a matrix e-ink display,a color e-ink display, etc.), or any other suitable types of devices.For example, the output unit 190 may include a projector that projectsan image onto a suitable surface. In some implementations, the sensorunit 150, the user input unit 170, and the output unit 190 may cooperateto create a user interface with capabilities (e.g., a keyboard) of muchlarger computer systems, as described in more detail below.Additionally, a haptic device may provide a user with feedback duringvirtual interactions with a projected user interface (e.g., feeling thesensation of typing on a projection of a keyboard).

The components 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, and/or 190 may beinterconnected by a bus 195, which may be implemented using one or morecircuit board traces, wires, or other electrical, optoelectronic, oroptical connections. The bus 195 may be a collection of electrical poweror communicative interconnections. The communicative interconnectionsmay be configured to carry signals that conform to any one or more of avariety of protocols, such as I2C, SPI, or other logic to enablecooperation of the various components.

II. Example Form Factor Types for a Smart Ring

FIG. 2 includes block diagrams of a number of different example formfactor types or configurations 205 a, 205 b, 205 c, 205 d, 205 e, 205 f,and/or 205 g of a smart ring (e.g., the smart ring 101) that may beutilized to communicate information indicative of driving conditions toa driver, thereby improving the driver's awareness of the state of thevehicle, environment, and even his or her own state and consequentlyimproving the driver's safety profile and reducing his or her riskexposure while driving. The system configurations 205 a, 205 b, 205 c,205 d, 205 e, 205 f, and/or 205 g may obtain information indicative ofthe driving conditions via sensors disposed on/or within theconfigurations, or from communicating with external devices.

The configurations 205 a, 205 b, 205 c, 205 d, 205 e, 205 f, and/or 205g (which may also be referred to as the smart rings 205 a, 205 b, 205 c,205 d, 205 e, 205 f, and/or 205 g) may each represent an implementationof the smart ring 101, and each may include any one or more of thecomponents 102 (or components similar to the components 102). In someembodiments, one or more of the components 102 may not be included inthe configurations 205 a, 205 b, 205 c, 205 d, 205 e, 205 f, and/or 205g. The configurations 205 a, 205 b, 205 c, 205 d, 205 e, 205 f, and/or205 g include housings 210 a, 210 b, 210 c, 210 d, 210 e, 210 f, and/or210 g, which may be similar to the housing 110 shown in FIG. 1 .

The configuration 205 a may be referred to as a band-only configurationcomprising a housing 210 a. In the configuration 205 b, a band mayinclude two or more removably connected parts, such as the housing parts210 b and 210 c. The two housing parts 210 b and 210 c may each house atleast some of the components 102, distributed between the housing parks210 b and 210 c in any suitable manner.

The configuration 205 c may be referred to as a band-and-platformconfiguration comprising (i) a housing component 210 d and (ii) ahousing component 210 e (sometimes called the “platform 210 e”), whichmay be in a fixed or removable mechanical connection with the housing210 d. The platform 210 e may function as a mount for a “jewel” or forany other suitable attachment. The housing component 210 d and theplatform 210 e may each house at least one or more of the components 102(or similar components).

In some instances, the term “smart ring” may refer to a partial ringthat houses one or more components (e.g., components 102) that enablethe smart ring functionality described herein. The configurations 205 dand 205 e may be characterized as “partial” smart rings, and may beconfigured for attachment to a second ring. The second ring may be aconventional ring without smart functionality, or may be second smartring, wherein some smart functionality of the first or second rings maybe enhanced by the attachment.

The configuration 205 d, for example, may include a housing 210 f with agroove to enable clipping onto a conventional ring. The grooved clip-onhousing 210 f may house the smart ring components described above. Theconfiguration 205 e may clip onto a conventional ring using asubstantially flat clip 210 g part of the housing and contain the smartring components in a platform 210 h part of the housing.

The configuration 205 f, on the other hand, may be configured to becapable of being mounted onto a finger of a user without additionalsupport (e.g., another ring). To that end, the housing 210 i of theconfiguration 205 f may be substantially of a partial annular shapesubtending between 180 and 360 degrees of a full circumference. Whenimplemented as a partial annular shape, the housing 210 i may be moreadaptable to fingers of different sizes that a fully annular band (360degrees), and may be elastic. A restorative force produced by adeformation of the housing 210 i may ensure a suitable physical contactwith the finger. Additional suitable combinations of configurations (notillustrated) may combine at least some of the housing features discussedabove.

The configuration 205 g may be configured to have two rings, a firstring 205 g 1 capable of and adapted to be mounted onto a finger of auser, and a second ring 205 g 2 capable of and adapted to be directlymounted onto the first ring 205 g 1, as depicted in FIG. 2 . Saidanother way, the first ring 205 g 1 and the second ring 205 g 2 arearranged in a concentric circle arrangement, such that the second ring205 g 2 does not contact a user's finger when the smart ring 205 g isworn. Rather, only the first ring 205 g 1 contacts the user's finger.Each of the first and second rings 205 g 1 and 205 g 2 of the smart ring205 g may include a body having flexible material. In addition, thefirst ring 205 g 1 may include a first part, and the second ring 205 g 2may include a second part removably connected to the first part below.

III. Example Surface Elements of a Smart Ring

FIG. 3 includes perspective views of example configurations 305 a, 305b, 305 c, 305 d, 305 e, 305 f, 305 g, and/or 305 h of a smart right(e.g., the smart ring 101) in which a number of surface elements areincluded. The surface elements may include sensors for detectinginformation indicative of driving conditions, or receive informationindicative of driving conditions from external devices. The surfaceelements may also include output elements for communicating informationindicative of the driving conditions to a driver.

The configuration 305 a is an example band configuration 305 a of asmart ring (e.g., smart ring 101). Some of the surface elements of thehousing may include interfaces 312 a, 312 b that may be electricallyconnected to, for example, the charging unit 130 or the communicationsunit 160. On the outside of the configuration 305 a, the interfaces 312a, 312 b may be electrically or optically connected with a charger totransfer energy from the charger to a battery (e.g., the battery 120),or with another device to transfer data to or from the ring 305 a. Theouter surface of the configuration 305 a may include a display 390 a,while the inner surface may include a biometric sensor 350 a.

Configurations 305 b and 305 c are examples of configurations of a smartring with multiple housing parts (e.g., the configuration 205 b in FIG.2 ). Two (or more) parts may be separate axially (the configuration 305b), azimuthally (the configuration 305 c), or radially (nested rings,not shown). The parts may be connected mechanically, electrically, oroptically via, for example, interfaces analogous to the interfaces 312a, 312 b in configuration 305 a. Each part of a smart ring housing mayhave one or more surface elements, such as, for example, sensors 350 b,350 c or output elements 390 b, 390 c. The latter may be e-ink displays(e.g., output element 390 b) or haptic feedback devices (e.g., outputelement 390 c), among other suitable sensor or output devices.Additionally or alternatively, at least some of the surface elements(e.g., microphones, touch sensors) may belong to the user input unit170.

The configuration 305 d may be an example of a band and platformconfiguration (e.g., the configuration 205 c), while the configurations305 e and 305 f may be examples of the partial ring configurations 205 dand 205 e, respectively. Output devices 390 d, 390 e, and/or 390 f onthe corresponding configurations 305 d, 305 e, and/or 305 f may be LCDdisplays, OLED displays, e-ink displays, one or more LED pixels,speakers, haptic devices, or any other suitable output devices that maybe a part of a suite of outputs represented by an output unit (e.g., theoutput unit 190).

The configuration 305 g is an example of a band with a one or moreoutput devices 390 g disposed on an outer surface 310 g and an innersurface 311 g of the ring band. In embodiments, the output devices 390 gmay be disposed on first and second side surfaces 308 g and 309 g of thering band. Alternatively, the output devices 390 g may be disposedwithin the inner and outer surfaces 310 g and 311 g, or the first andsecond side surfaces 308 g and 309 g, of the ring band configured to beviewed by a user of the smart ring configuration 305 g. For example, inembodiments the outer and inner surfaces 310 g and 311 g or first andsecond side surfaces 308 g and 309 g may be transparent. The outputdevices 390 g may be viewable from the entirety of the outer surface 310g, the entirety of the inner surface 311 g, the entirety of the firstside surface 308 g, or the entirety of the second side surface 309 grespectively. In embodiments, the output devices 390 g may be disposedon or viewable from only a portion of each of the surfaces 309 g, 310 g,and 311 g. Additionally, sensors may be operatively coupled to theconfiguration 305 g (e.g., elements and sensors of the user input unit170 of FIG. 1 ) to detect a user input to determine where on the outputdevices 390 g information should be displayed or which of the outputdevices 390 g should communicate the information. For example, a usermay press a finger or stylus on the outer surface 310 g to indicate theinformation should be displayed on the outer surface 310 g.Alternatively, the ring may be removed from a finger, or digit, of auser, or wearer, of the smart ring, and the user may press a finger orstylus on the inner surface 311 g to indicate that information should bedisplayed on the inner surface 311 g. The output device 390 g on theinner surface 311 g may then display the information for a user to viewthe information while the smart ring is not worn by the user of thesmart ring device having the configuration 305 g. Further, a user inputmay indicate that the information should not be displayed, but should becommunicated via a haptic device. A user of the configuration 305 g mayprefer information to be selectively viewable from the outer or innersurfaces 310 g and 311 g, or the first and second side surfaces 308 gand 309 g, or communicated via haptic devices depending on the type ofinformation, potential content of the information, a current environmentwhere the user is viewing the information, or depending on privacyconcerns among other considerations. Alternatively, a user may press ona surface to indicate where the information should not be displayed.

Elements of the user input unit 170 may be coupled to the output devices390 g and a user my press on a portion of the output devices 390 g toindicate that information should be presented from the portion of theoutput devices 390 g that was pressed or by a haptic device or specifichaptic device of a plurality of haptic devices. Additionally, a user mayindicate where and how the output devices 390 g should communicate theinformation dependent on different types of user inputs (e.g., audioinput, twisting of the ring, removal of the smart ring from a finger ordigit, placement of the ring on a finger or digit, a physicalorientation of the ring, a change in orientation of the ring, etc.), Inembodiments, the smart ring configurations 305 a, 305 b, 305 c, 305 d,305 e, 305 f, 305 g, and/or 305 h may include an inertial motion unit(IMU) for detecting the orientation and/or the movement of the ringhaving one of the configurations 305 a, 305 b, 305 c, 305 d, 305 e, 305f, 305 g, and/or 305 h. The orientation or a change in the orientationof the smart ring configuration 305 a, 305 b, 305 c, 305 d, 305 e, 305f, 305 g, and/or 305 h may be analyzed by a processor of the smart ringconfigurations 305 a, 305 b, 305 c, 305 d, 305 e, 305 f, 305 g, and/or305 h to determine which of the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h to communicate the information, orto determine a portion, or portions, of the output devices 390 a, 390 b,390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h that are to displayinformation. In embodiments, the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may communicate an indication of amessage or information that is ready to be presented to a user. The usermay then provide the user input to the smart ring, based at least inpart upon the indication, to indicate which output device 390 g shouldcommunicate the information, and/or what portion of the output deviceshould display the information. Enabling the user to indicate a portionof the display for displaying information, and/or a method forcommunicating the information may be useful in a number of contexts. Forexample, this feature enables a user to selectively view information ata time and portion (e.g., on the inside surface of the band when theband is removed) when he or she alone can view the information, thusproviding the user with privacy he or she might not otherwise have.Further, in some embodiments, the band may have a display that occupiesa significant portion of the outer band. In such embodiments, portionsof the display may not be viewable by the user (e.g., because thoseportions may be viewable only from the palm-side of the hand). Thus, insuch embodiments it may be advantageous to enable the user to indicate adesired portion for display (e.g., a portion of the display viewablefrom the back-side of the hand). Further, the user may indicate that ahaptic device should communicate the information providing the user witha level of privacy he or she might not otherwise have with displaytechnologies.

The configuration 305 h may be an example of a band with a one or moreoutput devices 390 h that are multiple strips that wrap around the band.In embodiments, the output devices 390 h may be a plurality of hapticdevices. The haptic devices may rotate, heat, pulse, contract andsqueeze a finger, expand, or provide another tactile or haptic output orsensory signal or indication to a user to communicate information to theuser. The output devices 390 h may each be coupled to individualrespective haptic devices (e.g., heating device, ECM, LRA, etc.) so thateach of the output devices can present different physical sensationsindicative of different information. For example, one of the outputdevices 305 h may contract to squeeze a finger of a user to indicate alow battery life of the smart ring configuration 305 h, another of theoutput devices 305 h may pulse upon successful completion of anoperation of the smart ring (e.g., successful completion of adownloading of information, uploading of information, permission grantstatus of the user to open a door or activate a device, etc.), while yetanother of the output devices 305 h may pulse or squeeze the finger ofthe user to indicate biometric information of the user (e.g., pulserate, blood-oxygen level, blood flow information, temperature, etc.).The haptic outputs or haptic sensations provided by the output devices390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h mayinclude a squeezing of a finger, a pulse squeeze, a rotation of thedevice, a heating of the device, or another haptic or tactile sensationprovided to a user to communicate information indicative of drivingconditions. While illustrated as three strips, the output devices 305 hwrapping the band may be 1 strip, 2 strips, 4 strips, 5 strips, 6strips, or greater, depending on the spatial dimensions of the stripsand the band.

IV. Example Smart Ring Haptic Modules

Staying with FIG. 3 , the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may be or include haptic modules forcommunicating information, via haptic outputs, indicative of one or moredriving conditions identified by the smart ring. The haptic modules mayinclude an electromagnetic actuator, a piezoelectric actuator,piezoelectric motor, piezoelectric transducer servomechanism, aservomotor, an eccentric rotating mass (ECM) actuator, a linear resonantactuator (LRA), an air vortex ring, an ultrasound transducer, anotherhaptic device capable of providing a user with a tactile sensation.Additionally, the haptic modules may include a thermal device to provideheat or thermal energy to a user, or a speaker for providing audiooutput to a user of any of the smart ring devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c,390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h.

The output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g,and/or 390 h may provide a haptic output or tactile sensation to conveyinformation indicative of driving conditions to a user of a smart ring.For example, the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may provide a haptic or tactile sensation toindicate a low battery charge level, or other malfunction, of the smartring. Additionally, haptic devices of the output devices 390 a, 390 b,390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may be configured toprovide any haptic indication (e.g., a character, a word, a sentence, asymbol, an image, a color, a brightness level, etc.) to indicate anytype of operation or status of the smart ring. For example, the outputdevices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 hmay communicate haptic indications based at least in part upon thebattery level of the smart ring, an incoming communication beingreceived by the smart ring, an outgoing communication being sent fromthe smart ring, an active or inactive communicative link between thesmart ring and an external device, etc.

In embodiments, the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e,390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may communicate haptic outputs as indicationsrepresentative of detected biometrics of a user of the smart ring. Forexample, the smart ring may detect the pulse of a user of the smartring, and the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f,390 g, and/or 390 h may vibrate if the detected pulse rate is above amaximum pulse rate threshold or below a minimum pulse rate threshold,and the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g,and/or 390 h may provide a physical pulse to the user every 5 minutes ifthe detected pulse rate is between the maximum and minimum pulse ratethresholds to communicate that the pulse is continuously measured, andis within an acceptable range of values. Haptic modules of the outputdevices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 hmay communicate a haptic indication of information indicative of a pulserate, blood flow, blood oxygen level, blood pressure, skin salinitylevel, temperature, weariness level, a cognoscente condition of theuser, an inebriation condition of the user, or any other biological andbiometric information to a user of the smart ring. Additionally, thering may communicate indications of a state of a user such as erraticbehavior of the sure, sleepiness of the user, stress level of the user,etc.

In embodiments, the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e,390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may communicate a haptic indication dependenton detected vehicular statuses. For example, the smart ring maycommunicate with sensors of a vehicle, with a communication module ofthe vehicle, or with another device or network to obtain currentstatuses of the vehicle and parts of the vehicle. For example, theoutput devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or390 h may vibrate to indicate that the gas in the tank of a vehicle isbelow a minimum threshold. The output devices may similarly vibrate,pulse, heat, or rotate to indicate that the heat of the engine of thevehicle is too high or a tire of the vehicle has an air pressure below athreshold. Additionally, the output devices may communicate a hapticindication to present information to the user indicative of an oillevel, needed oil change, coolant level, exhaust fume legal compliance,break pad health, low battery charge, flat tire, alternator failure,tire alignment/misalignment, transmission issue, power steering fluidlevel, brake fluid level, transmission fluid level, windshield wiperfluid level, etc.

In embodiments, the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e,390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may communicate a haptic indication dependenton vehicular operations. For example, the smart ring may communicatewith sensors of the vehicle, with a communication module of the vehicle,or with another device or network to obtain a current speed of thevehicle. The output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f,390 g, and/or 390 h may rotate indicating that speed of the vehicle isabove a maximum speed threshold or below a minimum speed threshold, andthe output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g,and/or 390 h may provide a pulse pattern at set intervals (e.g., twopulses every 5 minutes, etc.) if the detected speed is between themaximum and minimum speed thresholds, In embodiments, the output devices390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h maycommunicate haptic indications to present to a user informationindicative of a speed of a vehicle, an acceleration of a vehicle, acurrent altitude of the vehicle, the lane centering of the vehicle, afuel efficiency of the vehicle, an autopilot function status of thevehicle (e.g., autopilot is activated/not-activated), an autonomousdriving function of the vehicle is operational, an autonomous drivingfunction of the vehicle is activated, air bags areactivated/de-activated, a seat belt is latched/unlatched, a temperatureof the environment inside of the cabin of the vehicle, etc.

In embodiments, the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e,390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may provide a haptic or tactile indicationdependent on external factors or environmental factors in, and around,the vehicle. For example, the smart ring may communicate with sensors ofthe vehicle, with a communication module of the vehicle, withcommunication modules of other nearby vehicles, with a mobile device ofthe user of the smart ring, or with another device or network to obtaininformation and statuses of nearby vehicles. For example, it may becommunicated to the smart ring that a nearby driver is drivingerratically, and the smart ring may vibrate to indicate that the driverusing the smart ring should be cautious. Additionally, the outputdevices may display visual indications, signals, haptic indications, andinformation indicative of current or predicated weather conditions(e.g., rain, snow, extreme heat, etc.), current external environmentalconditions (e.g., wet/slick roads, fog levels, a visibility level,dangerous breathing air, external temperature, etc.), current conditionsinside of the cab of the vehicle (e.g., the temperature, air quality,moisture level, etc.).

In embodiments, the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e,390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may output or communicate haptic indicationsand signals to indicate many driving conditions during operation of avehicle such as the congestion of drivers along a road or planned triproute, the current proximity of the vehicle to external objects outsideof the vehicle (e.g., other vehicles, pedestrians, trees, etc.), orother factors associated with operation of a vehicle.

The output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g,and/or 390 h may provide haptic indications to a user of a smart ring,of any number of driving conditions as described above. Drivingconditions may be considered to be any element or factor that may havean influence or impact on the operation of a vehicle. For example, theweariness of an operator of the vehicle may be considered to be adriving condition, as well as the visibility of a road due to arainstorm. The driving conditions may include one or more of theexamples above including, without limitation, any operation of avehicle, status of a vehicle or part of a vehicle, biometric of a userof the smart ring, operation of the smart ring, status of the smartring, external environmental factors, and external driving factors.Additionally, it is envisioned, that the user of the smart ring may be adriver of a vehicle and the biometric information may be used todetermine the sleepiness of the driver, inebriation condition of thedriver, or otherwise, cognoscente condition of the driver.

While described above as “providing haptic indications”, in embodiments,the output devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g,and/or 390 h may additionally provide visual signals or outputsindicative of driving conditions. For example, the output devices 390 a,390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or 390 h may each portrayinformation to a user through flashes or pulses of LEDs or an e-inkdisplay, presenting images, characters, or symbols on the e-ink display,or presenting whole sentences and messages via the e-ink displays. Theoutput devices 390 a, 390 b, 390 c, 390 d, 390 e, 390 f, 390 g, and/or390 h may include one or more e-ink displays, LED displays, or othervisual displays for displaying characters or symbols, and scrolling ofcharacters or symbols.

V. Example Devices with which a Smart Ring may Interact

FIG. 4 illustrates an example environment 400 within which a smart ring405, including a haptic module, may be configured to operate. Elementsof the environment 400 may obtain information indicative of drivingconditions, communicate them to the smart ring 405, and the smart ring405 may communicate information indicative of the driving conditions viaoutput elements of the smart ring (e.g., a haptic module or device). Inan embodiment, the smart ring 405 may be the smart ring 101. In someembodiments, the smart ring 405 may be any suitable smart ring capableof providing at least some of the functionality described herein.Depending on the embodiment, the smart ring 405 may be configured in amanner similar or equivalent to any of the configurations 205 a, 205 b,205 c, 205 d, 205 e, 205 f, and/or 205 g or 305 a, 305 b, 305 c, 305 d,305 e, 305 f, 305 g, and/or 305 h shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 .

The smart ring 405 may interact (e.g., by sensing, sending data,receiving data, receiving energy) with a variety of devices, such asbracelet 420 or another suitable wearable device, a mobile device 422(e.g., a smart phone, a tablet, etc.) that may be, for example, the userdevice 104, another ring 424 (e.g., another smart ring, a charger forthe smart ring 405, etc.), a secure access panel 432, a golf club 434(or another recreational accessory), a smart ring 436 worn by anotheruser, or a steering wheel 438 (or another vehicle interface).Additionally or alternatively, the smart ring 405 may be communicativelyconnected to a network 440 (e.g., WiFi, 5G cellular), and by way of thenetwork 440 (e.g., network 105 in FIG. 1 ) to a server 442 (e.g., server107 in FIG. 1 ) or a personal computer 444 (e.g., mobile device 106).Additionally or alternatively, the ring 405 may be configured to senseor harvest energy from natural environment, such as the sun 450.

The ring 405 may exchange data with other devices by communicativelyconnecting to the other devices using, for example, the communicationunit 160. The communicative connection to other device may be initiatedby the ring 405 in response to user input via the user input unit 170,in response to detecting trigger conditions using the sensor unit 150,or may be initiated by the other devices. The communicative connectionmay be wireless, wired electrical connection, or optical. In someimplementation, establishing a communicative link may includeestablishing a mechanical connection. The ring 405 may display orotherwise convey to a user of the ring 405 information or data receivedfrom any devices communicatively coupled to the ring 405, and morespecifically data indicative of one or more driving conditions asdescribed herein.

The ring 405 may connect to other devices (e.g., a device with thecharger 103 built in) to charge the battery 120. The connection to otherdevices for charging may enable the ring 405 to be recharged without theneed for removing the ring 405 from the finger. For example, thebracelet 420 may include an energy source that may transfer the energyfrom the energy source to battery 120 of the ring 405 via the chargingunit 430. To that end, an electrical (or optical) cable may extend fromthe bracelet 420 to an interface (e.g., interfaces 112 a, 112 b, 312 a,312 b) disposed at the housing (e.g., housings 110, 210 a, 210 b, 210 c,210 d, 210 e, 210 f, 210 g, 210 h, and/or 210 i) of the ring 405. Themobile device 422, the ring 424, the golf club 434, the steering wheel438 may also include energy source configured as chargers (e.g., thecharger 103) for the ring 405. The chargers for may transfer energy tothe ring 405 via a wired or wireless (e.g., inductive coupling)connection with the charging unit 130 of the ring 405.

VI. Examples of Other Considerations

When implemented in software, any of the applications, services, andengines described herein may be stored in any tangible, non-transitorycomputer readable memory such as on a magnetic disk, a laser disk, solidstate memory device, molecular memory storage device, or other storagemedium, in a RAM or ROM of a computer or processor, etc. Although theexample systems disclosed herein are disclosed as including, among othercomponents, software or firmware executed on hardware, it should benoted that such systems are merely illustrative and should not beconsidered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or allof these hardware, software, and firmware components could be embodiedexclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, or in any combinationof hardware and software. Accordingly, while the example systemsdescribed herein are described as being implemented in software executedon a processor of one or more computer devices, persons of ordinaryskill in the art will readily appreciate that the examples provided arenot the only way to implement such systems.

The described functions may be implemented, in whole or in part, by thedevices, circuits, or routines of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 . Eachof the described methods may be embodied by a set of circuits that arepermanently or semi-permanently configured (e.g., an ASIC or FPGA) toperform logical functions of the respective method or that are at leasttemporarily configured (e.g., one or more processors and a setinstructions or routines, representing the logical functions, saved to amemory) to perform the logical functions of the respective method.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tospecific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not tobe limiting of the present disclosure, it will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or deletions may bemade to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently in certain embodiments.

As used herein, any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification may not be all referring to the sameembodiment.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements may notbe limited to only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refersto an inclusive “or” and not to an exclusive “or.” For example, acondition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (orpresent) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present)and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. Generally speaking, when asystem or technique is described as including “a” part or “a” step, thesystem or technique should be read to include one or at least one partor step. Said another way, for example, a system described as includinga blue widget may include multiple blue widgets in some implementations(unless the description makes clear that the system includes only oneblue widget).

VII. General Terms and Phrases

Throughout this specification, some of the following terms and phrasesare used.

Bus according to some embodiments: Generally speaking, a bus is acommunication system that transfers information between componentsinside a computer system, or between computer systems. A processor or aparticular system (e.g., the processor 454 of the server 450) orsubsystem may communicate with other components of the system orsubsystem (e.g., the components 452 and 456) via one or morecommunication links. When communicating with components in a sharedhousing, for example, the processor may be communicatively connected tocomponents by a system bus. Unless stated otherwise, as used herein thephrase “system bus” and the term “bus” refer to: a data bus (forcarrying data), an address bus (for determining where the data should besent), a control bus (for determining the operation to execute), or somecombination thereof. Depending on the context, “system bus” or “bus” mayrefer to any of several types of bus structures including a memory busor memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.

Communication Interface according to some embodiments: Some of thedescribed devices or systems include a “communication interface”(sometimes referred to as a “network interface”). A communicationinterface enables the system to send information to other systems and toreceive information from other systems, and may include circuitry forwired or wireless communication.

Each described communication interface or communications unit (e.g.,communications unit 160) may enable the device of which it is a part toconnect to components or to other computing systems or servers via anysuitable network, such as a personal area network (PAN), a local areanetwork (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). In particular, thecommunication unit 160 may include circuitry for wirelessly connectingthe smart ring 101 to the user device 104 or the network 105 inaccordance with protocols and standards for NFC (operating in the 13.56MHz band), RFID (operating in frequency bands of 125-134 kHz, 13.56 MHz,or 856 MHz to 960 MHz), Bluetooth (operating in a band of 2.4 to 2.485GHz), Wi-Fi Direct (operating in a band of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz), or anyother suitable communications protocol or standard that enables wirelesscommunication.

Communication Link according to some embodiments: A “communication link”or “link” is a pathway or medium connecting two or more nodes. A linkbetween two end-nodes may include one or more sublinks coupled togethervia one or more intermediary nodes. A link may be a physical link or alogical link. A physical link is the interface or medium(s) over whichinformation is transferred, and may be wired or wireless in nature.Examples of physicals links may include a cable with a conductor fortransmission of electrical energy, a fiber optic connection fortransmission of light, or a wireless electromagnetic signal that carriesinformation via changes made to one or more properties of anelectromagnetic wave(s).

A logical link between two or more nodes represents an abstraction ofthe underlying physical links or intermediary nodes connecting the twoor more nodes. For example, two or more nodes may be logically coupledvia a logical link. The logical link may be established via anycombination of physical links and intermediary nodes (e.g., routers,switches, or other networking equipment).

A link is sometimes referred to as a “communication channel.” In awireless communication system, the term “communication channel” (or just“channel”) generally refers to a particular frequency or frequency band.A carrier signal (or carrier wave) may be transmitted at the particularfrequency or within the particular frequency band of the channel. Insome instances, multiple signals may be transmitted over a singleband/channel. For example, signals may sometimes be simultaneouslytransmitted over a single band/channel via different sub-bands orsub-channels. As another example, signals may sometimes be transmittedvia the same band by allocating time slots over which respectivetransmitters and receivers use the band in question.

Memory and Computer-Readable Media according to some embodiments:Generally speaking, as used herein the phrase “memory” or “memorydevice” refers to a system or device (e.g., the memory unit 144)including computer-readable media (“CRM”). “CRM” refers to a medium ormedia accessible by the relevant computing system for placing, keeping,or retrieving information (e.g., data, computer-readable instructions,program modules, applications, routines, etc.). Note, “CRM” refers tomedia that is non-transitory in nature, and does not refer todisembodied transitory signals, such as radio waves.

The CRM may be implemented in any technology, device, or group ofdevices included in the relevant computing system or in communicationwith the relevant computing system. The CRM may include volatile ornonvolatile media, and removable or non-removable media. The CRM mayinclude, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to store information, and which can be accessed by the computingsystem. The CRM may be communicatively coupled to a system bus, enablingcommunication between the CRM and other systems or components coupled tothe system bus. In some implementations the CRM may be coupled to thesystem bus via a memory interface (e.g., a memory controller). A memoryinterface is circuitry that manages the flow of data between the CRM andthe system bus.

Network according to some embodiments: As used herein and unlessotherwise specified, when used in the context of system(s) or device(s)that communicate information or data, the term “network” (e.g., thenetworks 105 and 440) refers to a collection of nodes (e.g., devices orsystems capable of sending, receiving or forwarding information) andlinks which are connected to enable telecommunication between the nodes.

Each of the described networks may include dedicated routers responsiblefor directing traffic between nodes, and, optionally, dedicated devicesresponsible for configuring and managing the network. Some or all of thenodes may be also adapted to function as routers in order to directtraffic sent between other network devices. Network devices may beinter-connected in a wired or wireless manner, and network devices mayhave different routing and transfer capabilities. For example, dedicatedrouters may be capable of high volume transmissions while some nodes maybe capable of sending and receiving relatively little traffic over thesame period of time. Additionally, the connections between nodes on anetwork may have different throughput capabilities and differentattenuation characteristics. A fiberoptic cable, for example, may becapable of providing a bandwidth several orders of magnitude higher thana wireless link because of the difference in the inherent physicallimitations of the medium. If desired, each described network mayinclude networks or sub-networks, such as a local area network (LAN) ora wide area network (WAN).

Node according to some embodiments: Generally speaking, the term “node”refers to a connection point, redistribution point, or a communicationendpoint. A node may be any device or system (e.g., a computer system)capable of sending, receiving or forwarding information. For example,end-devices or end-systems that originate or ultimately receive amessage are nodes. Intermediary devices that receive and forward themessage (e.g., between two end-devices) are also generally considered tobe “nodes.”

Processor according to some embodiments: The various operations ofexample methods described herein may be performed, at least partially,by one or more processors (e.g., the one or more processors in theprocessor unit 142). Generally speaking, the terms “processor” and“microprocessor” are used interchangeably, each referring to a computerprocessor configured to fetch and execute instructions stored to memory.By executing these instructions, the processor(s) can carry out variousoperations or functions defined by the instructions. The processor(s)may be temporarily configured (e.g., by instructions or software) orpermanently configured to perform the relevant operations or functions(e.g., a processor for an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, orASIC), depending on the particular embodiment. A processor may be partof a chipset, which may also include, for example, a memory controlleror an I/O controller. A chipset is a collection of electronic componentsin an integrated circuit that is typically configured to provide I/O andmemory management functions as well as a plurality of general purpose orspecial purpose registers, timers, etc. Generally speaking, one or moreof the described processors may be communicatively coupled to othercomponents (such as memory devices and I/O devices) via a system bus.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the processor or processors may be located in a single location (e.g.,within a home environment, an office environment or as a server farm),while in other embodiments the processors may be distributed across anumber of locations.

Words such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or display, orcommunicate information.

Although specific embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that thereare other embodiments that are equivalent to the described embodiments.Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is notto be limited by the specific illustrated embodiments.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A smart ring device comprising: a ring band havinga plurality of surfaces including an inner surface and an outer surfaceopposite to the inner surface, the inner surface configured to contact afinger of a user when the smart ring device is worn by the user; aprocessor disposed within the ring band and configured to determine anindication of one or more driving conditions; and a haptic moduledisposed at least partially on the outer surface of the ring band andcommunicatively coupled to the processor; wherein the processor isconfigured to cause the haptic module to provide, to the user of thesmart ring device, a haptic output including the indication of the oneor more driving conditions.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the ringband comprises: a first housing configured to house one or more firstcomponents of the smart ring device; and a second housing mechanicallyconnected to the first housing, the second housing configured to houseone or more second components of the smart ring device; wherein thefirst housing includes a part of the inner surface of the ring band anda part of the outer surface of the ring band; wherein the second housingincludes a part of the inner surface of the ring band and a part of theouter surface of the ring band.
 23. The system of claim 22, wherein thefirst housing of the ring band is removably connected to the secondhousing of the ring band.
 24. The system of claim 22, wherein the firsthousing and the second housing are disposed axially or azimuthally toform the ring band.
 25. The system of claim 21, wherein the hapticmodule comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of alinear resonant actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, a vibrator, anultrasound transducer, an air vortex generator, and a fan.
 26. Thesystem of claim 21, further comprising an audio module configured toprovide, to the user of the smart ring device, one or more audio outputsindicative of the one or more driving conditions.
 27. The system ofclaim 21, further comprising: a user input module configured to receivea user input and generate an electrical signal indicative of the userinput.
 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the user input modulecomprises one of a microphone configured to receive audio input from theuser of the smart ring device, and a haptic input module configured toreceive haptic input from the user of the smart ring device.
 29. Thesystem of claim 27, wherein the user input comprises a user login and auser verification.
 30. The system of claim 21, wherein the haptic outputincludes at least one selected from a group consisting of a pulse, aheating output, a tactile sensation, a squeeze, a pulse squeeze, and arotation; wherein the haptic output is selected based at least in partupon the user input.
 31. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or moredriving conditions include at least one selected from a group consistingof a speed of the vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, a currentweather condition, a sleepiness condition of the user, a cognoscentecondition of the user, an operational status of the vehicle, aninebriation condition of the user, a physiological state of the user,and biometric information of the userof the smart ring device.
 32. Thesystem of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to receive datafrom a mobile device associated with a driver of the vehicle, andwherein the mobile device is configured to obtain the data from one ormore sensors of the vehicle.
 33. A method comprising: receiving, by aprocessor disposed in a ring band of a smart ring device, the ring bandhaving a plurality of surfaces including an inner surface and an outersurface opposite to the inner surface, the inner surface configured tocontact a finger of a user when the smart ring device is worn by theuser; determining, by the processor, an indication of one or moredriving conditions; and providing, by the processor, a haptic outputincluding the indication of the one or more driving conditions via ahaptic module disposed at least partially on the outer surface of thering band.
 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the ring band comprises:a first housing configured to house one or more first components of thesmart ring device; and a second housing mechanically connected to thefirst housing, the second housing configured to house one or more secondcomponents of the smart ring device; wherein the first housing includesa part of the inner surface of the ring band and a part of the outersurface of the ring band; wherein the second housing includes a part ofthe inner surface of the ring band and a part of the outer surface ofthe ring band.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first housing ofthe ring band is removably connected to the second housing of the ringband.
 36. The method of claim 34, wherein the first housing and thesecond housing are disposed axially or azimuthally to form the ringband.
 37. The method of claim 33, wherein the haptic module comprises atleast one selected from a group consisting of an eccentric rotating massactuator, a linear resonant actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, avibrator, and an ultrasound transducer.
 38. The method of claim 33,wherein the haptic output includes at least one selected from a groupconsisting of a pulse, a heating output, a tactile sensation, a squeeze,a pulse squeeze, and a rotation; wherein the haptic output is selectedbased at least in part upon the user input.
 39. The method of claim 33,further comprising communicating the indication of the one or moredriving conditions via audio outputs provided by an audio module. 40.The method of claim 33, wherein the one or more driving conditionsinclude at least one selected from a group consisting of a speed of thevehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, a current weather condition, asleepiness condition of the user, a cognoscente condition of the user,an operational status of the vehicle, an inebriation condition of theuser, a physiological state of the user, and biometric information ofthe user.